


Santa's Little Helper.

by Aramirandme81



Series: A Johnsons Christmas Calendar 2013 [14]
Category: The Almighty Johnsons
Genre: Brotherly Affection, Christmas Presents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-16
Updated: 2013-12-16
Packaged: 2018-01-04 20:54:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,617
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1085585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aramirandme81/pseuds/Aramirandme81
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes help isn’t needed, but you want it anyway.<br/>Other times it’s needed but you don’t know how to ask.<br/>And sometimes you help yourself most by helping others.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Santa's Little Helper.

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Elenhin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elenhin/gifts).



> Based on the prompt: Little brother wanna help.' By the wonderful Elenhin.  
> Cheers for the inspiration darling!

“I want to, I want to!” Anders said excitedly and pointed to where Mike was sitting as soon as he saw Mike busy with wrapping paper and scissors. 

Mike looked up to see his cousin at the entrance to the living room with Anders on his arm. The little boy was smiling and waving at Mike and trying to get Olaf to go where he wanted him to. 

“Olaf, Olaf go to Mikey. Please Olaf, please?” Anders begged and sniffed to stop his nose from running. Anders had a terrible summer cold that was on the verge of becoming something more and worse, so in spite of the heat of summer he was wrapped in a duvet and his fine blond hair was even more curly than usual with the sweat soaking his hair.

Olaf smiled at the lad squirming on his arm.

“Whoa there curious George, let’s just make sure Mike isn’t working on some secret project for Santa before we go barging in.” Olaf said. And Mike made a shooing gesture, meaning that yes this was actually Anders present he was wrapping.

“But Olaf I know it’s only dad eating the cookies.” Anders said causing Olaf to sigh.

“Well you still get presents don’t you?” He said and walked out the room while he had Anders attention.

“...yes?” Anders answered eyes flickering between Olaf and where Mike was.

“Well then there must be a Santa.” Olaf concluded.

“No, Mikey buys them.” Anders said with complete conviction.

“Mikey? Why Mikey and not your mum or your dad?” Olaf asked.

Anders sighed and rolled his eyes as if Olaf was being particularly obtuse.

“Because silly, Christmas presents are about love. Everyone know that.”

“Oh they do, do they?”

“Yes. I love Mikey, and he loves me so he gets me presents. And mum helps me get him some. I thought all grownups knew that?” Anders says and gives Olaf a confused look, then sneezes twice in rapid succession.

“Gesundheit little man. What do you say we get you back in bed?”

“No, I’m not tired, I wanna help Mikey.”

“Hmmm. Well we could always ask Mike if wanted a little bit of help I suppose.” Olaf said looking thoughtful. “Hey Mike, you need any help in there? Because I have one of Santa’s elf out her who’s just dying to help you.” Olaf called into the living room causing Anders to giggle that he was not an elf.

Mike had had just enough time to finish wrapping Anders gift and put it away in a bag. 

“Sure he can help, if he does as I say and nothing else.” Mike called back.

“Yayh!” Anders exclaimed, and then coughed a little before sniffing again.

“You sure you won’t rather go up and sleep a little?” Olaf probed once more.

“No, it’s boring and I don’t like it. I wanna be with Mikey.” Anders said and leaned as much towards his big brother as he could in Olaf’s grip. 

“Okay, okay we’ll help Mikey.” Olaf said and sat down in the chair beside his oldest ‘cousin’.

“Hi Mikey.” Anders said as he managed to dislodge half of the duvet he’d been wrapped in. 

“Hi Anders.”

“Can I ...” Anders began then frowned and corrected himself. “May I help?”

“You may.” Mike said grinning at his brother’s peculiarity. The kid spoke more correct than most of Mike’s teachers did. When he wanted to, that is. Because Anders could already out curse both mum, dad and Olaf if he wanted to. And Mike was fully convinced that the proverb: ‘Curse like a sailor.’ had been coined on his dad. Anders didn’t do it often because it landed him in a heap of trouble but Mike was really impressed by it when he did.

“You can hold the paper down so it doesn’t roll when I try and cut it okay?”

Anders nodded and did what he was asked.

They wrapped the rest of the presents like that. Anders holding the paper when and where Mike asked it, and, most importantly, placing a helping finger on the ribbon so it didn’t slip when Mike was tying the knots and bows. 

“I did good?” Anders asked as Mike tied the last bow.

Mike looked at the presents and confirmed that while it had taken a little longer than it would if he’d done it on his own, it was actually much neater looking that what he’d done on his own.

“You did Anders. Thank you.” Mike said and ruffled Anders sweaty hair making a face at the wet and heat.

“Good.” Anders said a little dreamily, eyes once again fever bright and tried to stifle a yawn that turned into another impressive sneeze and a sniffle.

“Time for that nap I think.” Olaf said after whipping Anders running nose with a hanky and picked an unresisting Anders up and re wrapped him in the duvet. “Say good night to Mike Anders.”

“Night, night Mikey.” Anders said with his eyes drifting shut and his head on Olaf’s big shoulder.

 

Olaf had Anders changed into fresh nightclothes and into a newly made bed and he was halfway up when Anders sighed in contentment and ‘whisper’ to his cousin: “I like helping Mike.”

Olaf smiled at his second youngest grandson.

“That’s good Anders. Helping your brothers is always good.”

Anders frowned.

“Not always. Ty ‘helped’ me eat mum’s porridge and he got it all over and drooled in it too. I didn’t like that. Neither did mum.”

Olaf grinned, it was no secret Anders didn’t much care for Elisabeth’s porridge, and so Olaf could very well picture Anders trying to feed the ever hungry Ty his portion as well.

“But I like helping Mike. I like that a lot.” Anders said as he drifted off to sleep.

“You’re a good boy Anders. Sleep tight.” Olaf said and kissed the little sweat soaked brow goodnight.

 

******** 

 

“It shouldn’t be that hard to order presents online. Even Olaf can do it.” Mike lamented. As he tried for the fifth time to get the order to process and for the fifth time he got a ‘fail’ notice and this time also several flashing boxes and then a blue screen.

“Oh for the love of...!” Mike yelled and only just resisted the urge to kick the computer cabinet in front of him. 

He failed to resist the urge to bang his head into the desk though, and that was how Anders found him. 

“Dare I ask?” His brother said as he entered Mikes little office nook. 

“I can’t remember a time where you didn’t... dare ask that is.” Mike said, voice somewhat muffled by the fact that his face was still pushed into the desk.

“True. So can I help?” Anders said and twisted the cap of the beer he’d procured from somewhere, undoubtedly Mike’s own fridge.

“If by help you mean open the window before I throw this piece of shit out it, then yes.”

“Oh come now I can’t be all that bad, here take a swing of this.” Anders said and handed Mike the beer without even taking a sip himself.

Mike took a long swing and felt a bit of his irritation lift as the cool liquid slid down his throat and seemed to soothe the hot rage in his belly. 

“Better?”

Mike gave a nod.

“Good, now tell me what the nasty machine has done or is refusing to do?”

 

A quarter of an hour later and Anders had made the stubborn thing give up its secrets and it was humming along happily as the wireless printer, which Mike had never gotten to work, printed page after page and the net was pulling down information and installing a new Virus scanner.

“There, that should fix it. The presents should be shipped later today, gift wrapped and all, so all you have to do is put them under the tree. Just try to never ever click on anything saying free again or just never leaving your pc unsupervised with either Axl or Olaf. Especially Olaf.” Anders said and looked like he was remembering something particularly unpleasant. 

“Thanks, and I won’t.” Mike said then looked at Anders.

“What?”

“You’re not usually that helpful.”

“I’m always helpful.”

“No, well yes, but that’s usually only when we ask you too.”

“Ask? You mean demand don’t you? And how would I ever get a chance to volunteer when the first thing you lot usually do when you call me or call on me is tell me what you want me to do for you? I’d love to volunteer, I like to help. You just never give me a chance to offer my help before you demand it. And I don’t like being pushed around but then who does?” Anders said as he got up to get another beer, since Mike had failed to return his.

Mike took another swing of his beer as he thought it over.

Ander was right, they did just demand before they asked. 

‘Well shit, no wonder he’s so prickly about doing stuff.’ Mike thought and emptied his beer.

“You’re right Anders. And I’m sorry.” Mike said.

“Yeah?” Anders said looking like he didn’t know if he should be more surprised or suspicious at Mike’s words.

“Yeah. And to prove it I’m going to ask you a favour.” 

Anders lifted one eyebrow, obviously waiting for the other shoe to drop.

“I have this urge to treat my brother to dinner as thank you for saving both my computer and my sanity, but I simply don’t know where to take him, could you maybe recommend somewhere?”

Anders face broke into a grin.

“I’d be more than happy to help.”

**Author's Note:**

> Comment's and Kudos is love, and this the time of love and goodwill to all of man sooo..... ;-)


End file.
